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Space Fleet Space-Log Episode 31
Episode 31 - "We are not the Travelers you are Looking For" Spacedate: 4257.103.16.42 Episode 31 finds the Delta Squad Marines on the surface of Laak 3 on the outskirts of the Hamlet of Halstead. Their successful infiltration of the village had not only failed to break the Principal Edict, but also yielded valuable Intel that Lt. Commander Domino had been captured by some sort of local armed militia, and likely taken to a place called Centerfell Keep, further to the north. Acting on instructions from Control, they proceeded out to the main trail, eager to get some miles in before their Psionic Disguises faded away. Spacedate: 4257.103.18.34 A couple of hours later, with their disguises getting close to expiring, the Marines detected movement on the path ahead. As they practiced again in their heads the story about being generic but plausible Merchants, they surmised, (by the similarity of their armor), that the approaching figures were in fact more Sheriffs, apparently patrolling the road. Things went well with the schpeel at first, but then one of the Sheriffs noticed the Wolf's-Head Pommel on the +2 Footman's Flail. He demanded to know where the group got a Nobleman's Weapon from, and what were they doing with it. Yet another unlikely Beguile roll later and the Marines had talked their way out of trouble once more, convincing the simple Sheriffs that they were taking it to the Capital to return it, since there was a King's-Moot happening at Centerfell keep, and thus the Warden of the North would be there personally to receive it, (whatever that means?). With minutes to spare, the squad moved off the trail and Sprout cast Obfuscation on the entire group again, although since Zorf was glowing they made for an eerie sight as the invisible light source floated through the woods. At one point the glowing light seemed to summon forth a tiny G-Nome from behind a tree root, but he didn't find what he was expecting and promptly disappeared from sight again. The Squad continued on for the rest of the four hour block, then found a suitable spot to hole up for the night. Spacedate: 4257.104.10.22 After an extended rest to facilitate watches, the party geared up and prepared to move out, with Sprout one again Obfuscating the group. The Navigation Check to find the path again was mediocre, but they were close enough to the population center of the Keep to eventually find their way. Spacedate: 4257.104.12.50 Having found their way back to road the Squad activated their disguise Items again. Shortly thereafter, they were intercepted by a pair of Sinister Knights on patrol, (security apparently being high what with the King's-Moot and all?). The Beguile was going well, (despite being called out on the Flail again), until Zorf inadvertently referred to 'fire crotches' as coming from the south, when every knows the Gartarians are Blond, (he rolls a 4 to Beguile, but Bennies to recover). Miraculously, the Marines managed to talk their way past the patrol and proceeded on to the Keep. Spacedate: 4257.104.14.12 Centerfell Keep turned out to be an imposing stone structure with 30 foot tall walls and 50 foot tall towers, including a Barbican with a draw bridge. The Marines managed to mingle with some peasants and religious pilgrims as they approached the gate, and saw that it was manned by three of the Sheriffs and two more of the Sinister Knights. The couple entering the city ahead of the group paid 2 coppers to the Sheriff, so Sprout made a Basic Math Check and figured out it would be 4 coppers to pay the entry tax for the group. He handed over the coins, then started into his generic but totally plausible explanation, (including about the Flail), but Natural One'd to Beguile! Once again, saved by the Benny, he got a 19 on the re-roll, and the Squad proceeded in to the Keep without further incident, (although the Pilgrims behind them seemed to get into some kind of tax-exemption dispute with the guards after they had passed). They proceeded down a long defensive corridor between the walls, then around a corner and into the main courtyard of the Keep. There was a bustling settlement inside the walls, complete with peasant girls running through the streets, and, of course, a gregarious individual aptly named Huxter 3 looking to ingratiate himself to the group and be of whatever assistance that they would like to pay him for. Taking advantage of the service, the Squad followed him down a dim alley, and around a darker corner. With a judicious application of Copper Pieces, they got him to explain about the King's-Moot, and then about the Noble Families; Huxter 3 explained that the Crown Prince was about to come of age, and that when his uncle the Regent stepped down it was traditional for the Noble Families to bring their eligible daughters to court to offer them up as brides in order to cement important alliances. There was some sort of implication that this particular King's-Moot might have some sort of additional importance beyond the norm, but nobody really followed up on it. When pressed for a description of the Noble Houses, he gave a brief synopsis, describing the 5 main Noble Houses in Philistine society; * House Gartarian * House Sinister * House Stanke * House Rytell * House Rarebathian After getting the down-low on the situation, Including that the speeches for the King's-Moot would be at 8:00 pm, the Squad had Huxter 3 take them to the Inn that he had promised. On the way across the market square they were accosted repeatedly, first by a Religious Pilgrim who presented a handbill with a cryptic picture on it; , then by a Strumpet. She was non-plussed when Zorf failed to respond appropriately, but the Marines were able to extricate themselves and entered the Foaming Tankard Inn. Huxter 3 greeted several people in the room by name, avoided the Sheriffs sitting at table 5, and spoke to the Inn-Keeper, (he didn't pay for his beer when it came). Sprout Natural One'd the Beguile on the Haggle for the room, ("only the best one in the house is left"), and the group had to pay extra. Spacedate: 4257.104.15.32 Looking to tie up loose ends, the Squad proceeded to attempt to return the Stanke Flail. Huxter 3 showed them to the gate to the Inner Baily, but then peeled off at the last minute when the Sinister Knights gave him the Stink-Eye. Zorf explained their mission to the the Guards, but rolled a 5 on his Beguile! The all mighty power of the Benny was brought to bear however, and he got a 19 with his re-roll! The Guards opened up the gate into the Inner-Bailey, and led them across the courtyard to a guest-house to talk to the Stankes. After talking their way past a couple of Stanke Knights, the Marines were finally allowed to talk to Lord Stanke. Robb and Sansa were lurking in the background, while Arya took advantage of the distraction to sneak out of the house. They returned the Flail and were rewarded 10 silvers for their service. On the way back out of the Inner Bailey the Squad noticed through the window of another guest house Viserys and Daenerys Gartarian, (Viserys appeared to be practicing his speech, Daenerys just looked bored). The Squad failed to notice however Arya sneaking out of the castle behind them, then returned to the Inn to eke out a 4 hour block in their over-priced room. Spacedate: 4257.104.20.00 With about an hour and a half left on their Disguises, the Marines proceeded to the square in front of the gate to the Inner Bailey. The Nobles were all up on the battlements, talking down to the crowd of peasants below; the Sinisters, (Prince Joffre, Jaimme, Tyrion and Cersei), in the center, flanked by the Rytells, (Mace, Margaery and Loras), the Gartarians, (Viserys and Daenerys), and the Stankes, (Nedd, Robb, Sansa and Arya), as well as all of their respective Knights. The Speeches were long and boring, each house extolling its virtues over the others, and making inappropriate double entendres about their various nubile daughters. the interplay between Viserys and Joffre was later said to be "the worst thing ever". Once the ogling was complete, Joffre launched into an act about all of their various inadequacies, claiming none of the potential brides were even on par with his new consort, revealed to be Lady Domino (!) as he pulled her to the front of the tower. The Princess Leia Bikini and spiked collar with chain leash held by Joffre made it a bit unclear as to how in charge of the situation she was, but at least she wasn't locked up in the dungeon or dead in a ditch somewhere, right? Given the extremely heavy security and/or large number of witnesses/potential collateral damage, the Squad was at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed, so Ray decided to 'phone a friend', calling up to Control from behind his psionic disguise. Advice received was to keep things low key, and try to signal their presence to her without alerting any of the Philistines. Picking his moment, Ray threw down some Space Fleet 'Gang Signs' in hopes that she would see. A successful Perception Check indicated that she had, immediately followed up by her stepping to the fore and reminding all assembled of the Ancient Prophesy of The Dragon Mother, which foretold of the time when upon the King's-Moot the Crown Prince's Consort would claim the right to choose one or more Champions to venture to the forbidden Chaotic Caverns in the Vale of the Borderlands to retrieve the Shard of the Dragon Mother, after which she would choose which eligible princess to bestow it on, before leaving this world forever. Cersei tried to interrupt, but Lord Rytell confirmed that this was in fact all correct. The queen Mother was twice as irate when Lady Domino implied that she had gleaned this detail from Joffre himself in the course of some sort of 'Pillow Talk". Quickly, the Marine Squad stepped up to declare themselves as Lady Domino's Champions. Despite a lack of assistance Zorf managed a 14 on his Beguile Check, (after using a Benny, of course). His rousing speech got the crowd behind them, and in the face of so much public support the Sinisters had no choice but to go along. The Gate was opened and the Squad escorted into inner bailey. Sprout was still in mid-calling the Getting Captured at the Speed of the Plot when the inner gate slammed shut behind them and Joffre called for his Knights to attack! With his amazing reflexes and short Speed Factor on his pistols, Braxxz actually fired first, which really looked kind of terrible for the group, (especially when he hit the Prince all the way up on the top of the Battlements!). Just then, the ensnaring and embittering tendrils the color of piss that could only mean Magic Nets enveloped the party from all directions as the multitude of Sinister Knights converged on the group, netting them up and plot-tasering them into unconsciousness. (#CheapAssBullShit!). 1 Combat Awarded Spacedate: 4257.104.22.34 When the group regained their senses, they were locked in a hermetically sealed stone chamber, (Braxxz chained upside down to the wall). Lt. Commander Domino was locked in with them, and surprisingly, they had all of their equipment. They exchanged information; Domino explaining how she barely managed to salvage the situation despite Braxxz shooting Joffre. It was debated for a while whether or not to cut Braxxz down, but eventually they did. Domino was horrified to hear about the Ultron Virus and the extent of the infection, but at least a little bit relieved to know what had caused the disaster that destroyed Starship One. Impressed by their tales of daring-do and surprised by the unlikely extent of their Psionic Powers, (except for Braxxz), she seconded the group into Psi-Core, (Braxxz as an honorary member), then placed herself in command of the Squad. She followed this up with offering to teach the group one new 'Spell', (except for Braxxz), if they could come to an agreement as to which one, and were willing to pull an all-nighter to make it happen. In the end they decided on Telepathy, and starting the McGuffin Quest with a moderate dose of Sleep Deprivation. Spacedate: 4257.105.11.45 Just before noon the door to the tower was opened, and the Marines emerged into a courtyard bristling with Sinister Knights. After being given a 'Sending Stone" to be used to report their success, they were allowed a few moments to power up, Domino wished them luck, and a Portal was opened, (supposedly to the crossroads near the Vale of the Borderlands). The Delta Squad Marines stepped through, ending the episode on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Episode 31 Epilogue After an amazing round of infiltration riding on the crest of a Benny Wave have the Marines earned the right to more stuff to kill? Is walking through a Portal to an unknown destination really that good of an idea? Are these questions largely rhetorical? Tune in next week to maybe find out! 23 Generic Points Awarded. Back to Space-Log Category:Space Fleet